02/14/1983 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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- e - M I NUT E S Eugene City Council City Council Chamber February 14, 1983 7:30 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: John Ball, Richard Hansen, Freeman Holmer, Mark Lindberg, Brian Obie, Emily Schue, Betty Smith, Cynthia Wooten. Regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Eugene, Oregon, was called to order by His Honor Mayor Gus Keller. I. PUBLIC HEARING A. Proposed Increase in Regional and Local Sewer User Fee (memo, ordinances, background information distributed) City Manager Micheal Gleason introduced Terry Smith, Public Works Department. Mr. Smith said that the ordinances being considered by the council addressed the following issues: 1) a proposed rate increase in the regional sanitary sewer user fees; 2) a proposed rate increase in the City sanitary sewer user fees; 3) a proposed increase in the amount of the sewer trunk levy from the current $.005 to $.025 per square foot of lot area; and 4) a proposed change in the assessment process which would allow either a hearings official or a council subcommittee to conduct the public hearings and make the decisions on bid awards and assessment levies related to improvement assessments. Mr. Smith noted that studies related to the first two items had been distributed to councilors and that the council had previously held a work session on these matters. He used graphic materials to summarize the current and proposed user fees, which inclu- ded raising regional user fees from $2.30 to $6.30 per month, raising local user fees from $1.95 to $4.50 per month, including a $.20 monthly fee to cover costs of sanitary sewer rehabilitation. He noted that rehabilitation costs were now supported by property taxes and that the proposed $.20 charge would transfer this support to a user fee. Mr. Smith reviewed the background decisions involved in the fee increase pro- posals before the council, including the 1977 decision to build a new treatment plant, the 1978 selection of an activated sludge operation, the 1978 decision to proceed with the West Eugene project, the 1982 decision to make provisions for serving the River Road-Santa Clara area with sewers, and budget decisions of 1980 and 1982 related to sewer operations and maintenance. He noted that the last user fee increase had been made in November 1980. Mr. Smith said that in the past user fees had not paid the full cost of service, which had been heavily subsidized by property taxes. He said that the proposed new user rate of $10.50 MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 14, 1983 Page 1